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Live Mesh - multiple users, same computer RRS feed

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    Right.

    So I installed it on my user on my XP and on my Windows 7,

    but when I go on other users - they don't seem to see it, and when I locate it through C/ program files, it doesn't open.


    So I reinstall it for their user, and it works.

    Is this what's supposed to happen? On my mac it doesn't do this. One installation, everyone has it.
    Friday, February 6, 2009 8:01 PM

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    Hi,

    Yes, this is the expected behavior: the Live Mesh software installs on a per-user basis so that different users of the same computer can each have their own mesh.  Note, though, that the Live Mesh Remote Desktop feature runs as a service, and so installs once for everyone - thus it's available even when no one is logged into the remote computer.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

    Thanks,

    Ben.
    Friday, February 6, 2009 9:01 PM
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    cac303:
     Each user can install Live Mesh and use the same LiveID to sign in or use their own LiveID to sign in. If it is the latter, you would then invite the other users to the Mesh and they would set the Sync options to the same local folder on the PC or not. In either case, the local data is not duplicated.

    So, if each user has their own ID and your ID is used to sync a folder of pictures for example, and that folder locally is public (on the PC) for all users of that physical PC, there is no need for the other users to sync to the Live Desktop as your login would handle that. However, that does mean that you need to log on for updated files in the Shared folder to update if they choose not to sync this folder locally under their ID. All users can point their Shared folder to the same local folder on the PC that is public to all local users and updates will sync to the Live Desktop and to the rest of the Mesh devices.


    Each user, can , however, access their own Live Desktop which would have a pointer to your Live Desktop copy of the shared folder that they are members of. If your LiveID also meshed folders that you wish to keep private, this would allow you to sync your other folders to the Live Desktop that can only be accessed with your LiveID.

    -steve
    Microsoft MVP Windows Live / Windows Live OneCare & Live Mesh Forum Moderator
    Tuesday, February 17, 2009 6:04 PM
    Moderator

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    Hi,

    Yes, this is the expected behavior: the Live Mesh software installs on a per-user basis so that different users of the same computer can each have their own mesh.  Note, though, that the Live Mesh Remote Desktop feature runs as a service, and so installs once for everyone - thus it's available even when no one is logged into the remote computer.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

    Thanks,

    Ben.
    Friday, February 6, 2009 9:01 PM
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    So I should install it for each user? Won't I end up with like 6 copies of the mesh config files on my computer?
    Friday, February 6, 2009 9:09 PM
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    Hi,

    Yes, you would end up with 6 copies on your machine - according to the number of users. This sounds wasteful but considering the size of Live Mesh (small) and the benefits of separate installs (less conflicts, no shared processes that would allow one user to snoop another user's files etc) the overall benefit seems to outweigh the negatives.

    Hope that helps,

    Oren

    Sunday, February 8, 2009 1:09 AM
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    O.k., so I am not so much concerned about the config files, but about the shared data. I have a primmary desktop that all of my kids (4 of them) share along with occasional use by my wife, who also has a laptop. We have a live mesh "Family Files" that has pictures, a share One Note file, etc. It is about 2 GB of data set up for peer to peer.

    If each of them installs live mesh on their own, won't that mean that I will have 5 copies of the same 2GB of user data on the machine?  How will data synchs work?  Will data that is updated by one of them, have to go up the internet and back down to synch when someone else logs on? It would be much better for me to have a single instance of live mesh installed as a service, with a single folder in the All Users profile that everyone has access to.  Or better, to do it the same way that you are, but have logic built in to detect multiple replicas of the same data and consolidate them with virtual references for the rest.

    Also, if my kids reinstall live mesh one at a time, will I still have access to remote control the machine under my live mesh account?  Can a single computer be a device in multiple live mesh device circles?

    Thanks,
    Tuesday, February 17, 2009 5:08 PM
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    cac303:
     Each user can install Live Mesh and use the same LiveID to sign in or use their own LiveID to sign in. If it is the latter, you would then invite the other users to the Mesh and they would set the Sync options to the same local folder on the PC or not. In either case, the local data is not duplicated.

    So, if each user has their own ID and your ID is used to sync a folder of pictures for example, and that folder locally is public (on the PC) for all users of that physical PC, there is no need for the other users to sync to the Live Desktop as your login would handle that. However, that does mean that you need to log on for updated files in the Shared folder to update if they choose not to sync this folder locally under their ID. All users can point their Shared folder to the same local folder on the PC that is public to all local users and updates will sync to the Live Desktop and to the rest of the Mesh devices.


    Each user, can , however, access their own Live Desktop which would have a pointer to your Live Desktop copy of the shared folder that they are members of. If your LiveID also meshed folders that you wish to keep private, this would allow you to sync your other folders to the Live Desktop that can only be accessed with your LiveID.

    -steve
    Microsoft MVP Windows Live / Windows Live OneCare & Live Mesh Forum Moderator
    Tuesday, February 17, 2009 6:04 PM
    Moderator
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    cac303 said:

    Also, if my kids reinstall live mesh one at a time, will I still have access to remote control the machine under my live mesh account?

    Thanks,



    Hi,

    Unlike the Live Mesh client for sync, the Live Mesh Remote Desktop feature installs as a service, so that it can run even if no one is logged into his or her user account.  As long as at least one user account has Live Mesh installed, Live Mesh Remote Desktop is available.  I believe that's what you were asking here, though please correct me if I've misunderstood.

    Thanks,

    Ben.
    Tuesday, February 17, 2009 7:57 PM
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    One word of caution - if you use fast user switching between users on the machine this can leave multiple copies of the Live Mesh client running at once, which is not a good thing if both are monitoring the same directory and a change is made (weird loops).

    Oren
    Tuesday, February 17, 2009 11:41 PM
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    Hi,

    Yes, this is the expected behavior: the Live Mesh software installs on a per-user basis so that different users of the same computer can each have their own mesh.  Note, though, that the Live Mesh Remote Desktop feature runs as a service, and so installs once for everyone - thus it's available even when no one is logged into the remote computer.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

    Thanks,

    Ben.


    cac303:
     Each user can install Live Mesh and use the same LiveID to sign in or use their own LiveID to sign in. If it is the latter, you would then invite the other users to the Mesh and they would set the Sync options to the same local folder on the PC or not. In either case, the local data is not duplicated.

    Microsoft MVP Windows Live / Windows Live OneCare & Live Mesh Forum Moderator

    In my opinion this should be optional. Here is my situation.

    I have a laptop with 2 user IDs. One local ID for home use one domain ID for work use. This allows me a home desktop and a work desktop. When I install Mesh under my home ID all woks as it should. If I login to my laptop at work with my domain ID, start Mesh and try to log in to my account, Mesh wants to ad my laptop as a new device even though I already added this device from home under my home ID.


    By default mesh even wants to name the “new” device the same as my existing device. It will do this but now you have two devises with the same name on your ring. Mesh should at least append the user name to the device “system name” by default.


    I sync one “work folder” that containing all of my docs to all of my PCs. I should be able to sync this folder from any of my devices under any user ID without having to create a duplicate device on my ring. In my case it is just clutter. I hate Clutter!

    The installer should prompt.
    1. Uesd same mesh device for all users.
    2. Create new device for each user.
    With descriptions of both options.

    Thursday, June 4, 2009 3:11 PM
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    It would be great if you would file this as a suggestion per this post:
     

    Live Mesh Beta: Suggestions - Go cast your vote!

    -steve

    Microsoft MVP Windows Live / Windows Live OneCare & Live Mesh Forum Moderator
    Thursday, June 4, 2009 3:34 PM
    Moderator
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    Stephen,

    I saw your post and then checked the top suggestion page to look for the above suggestion. And I could not find it.

    Dont you think your method of asking the user to submit in a different form / place is flawed?

    Because, this will make only a certain type of people submit suggestions (kind of die-hard MS fans: these people will like the product anyway).

    People like me, will go - 'Damn, I said your software will have better reception if you do this change, then you say: Please say that standing on one leg so that everyone notices it. Ridiculous! I would rather keep quiet and let the software die because lack of user acceptance than spend energy in free testing and filing reports for the vendor.

     

    Tuesday, September 14, 2010 7:08 PM
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    MS-LVP,

    It isn't my process as I'm not with Microsoft, I volunteer here.

    However, since this beta is a dead end, head over to http://windowslivehelp.com for discussion of Live Sync beta, which will receive the name Live Mesh at or before release. It adopted the Live Mesh environment/back end and the simplified interface of Live Sync.

    -steve

    ~ Microsoft MVP Windows Live ~ Windows Live OneCare| Live Mesh|MS Security Essentials Forums Moderator ~
    Wednesday, September 15, 2010 11:17 AM
    Moderator